That moment

It was that moment I saw the envelope laying on my table, saw the stamp from Plymouth, ready to be opened. Dayummm... That moment when my heart started beating profusely, so much adrenaline rush in my body. As I slowly tear the top, curious with what lies inside..... Pop! A postcard from my dearest, all the way from Plymouth which is 10838km away from me.

It was some time since I felt this way..
I guess, this is part of parcel for being in a long distance relationship. And this is one of the greatest feeling you'll ever get!

To be constantly longing for your partner, even a small moment of Skype brightens up your day. A small postcard like this definitely brought so much wonderful affection :)

It takes a huge courage for a long distance relationship to work. But only if you believe :)

Here is a picture I got from a post my friend shared in Facebook and I thought it was truly a great advice for lovers out there.

Based on IOWA Department for the blind the definition of legal blindness and visually impaired are:

Legal Definition of Blindness

a person with central visual acuity (vision that allows a person to see straight) of 6/60 (the biggest letter/number/symbol in the Snellen Chart) or less in his or her better eye with correction. 

Visual field (the part of a person's vision that enables them to see what is happening to the side of them) is also considered. A visual field of 20 degrees or less is considered to be legally blind. 

Visually Impaired

A person who is visually impaired has difficulty performing ordinary tasks with sight – even with the best correction (glasses or contact lenses)

And according to WHO...........

There are 4 levels of visual function (International Classification of Diseases):

• normal vision
• moderate visual impairment
• severe visual impairment
• blindness.

Moderate visual impairment combined with severe visual impairment are grouped under the term “low vision”: low vision taken together with blindness represents all visual impairment.

The causes of visual impairment

Globally the major causes of visual impairment are:

• uncorrected refractive errors (myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism), 43 %
• unoperated cataract, 33%
• glaucoma, 2%

 Among those with DM for more than 15 years, approximately 2% became blind and 10% developed severe visual handicap. 

About 90% of the world's visually impaired live in low-income settings. 

82% of people living with blindness are aged 50 and above

80% of all visual impairment can be prevented or cured

"HELP THOSE WHO CAN'T IF YOU'RE ABLE TO SEE THE NOTES ABOVE"

Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB), established in 1951 by the English was aimed to look after the general well-being of the blind in Malaysia.

Today, I've learnt that being disabled would not stop you from progressing. It is only through your own will, things will get better. In addition to that, I've gained so much more which I would like to share with you. First of all, we need to know more about the blind and how to deal with them.

The blind can still:

• read (through Braille and CDs) to acquire knowledge
• learn anatomy, physiology and pathology to be a great reflexology and earn some living
• use the computer
• translate books or novels into Braille so that other blind people can benefit from them
• walk around a building without assistance
• cook
• take care of spouses and children

Things you can do to the blind/visually impaired person:

• Ask if they need any assistance to cross the road or move about, if they say 'it's okay', leave them alone.
• Touch them gently by the shoulder or elbow / call their name if you want to start conversing with them
• When you assist them to move around, let them hold you by the hand or shoulder instead of you holding them. Always explain and tell them where they're heading to, what obstacles are there around them and where they are at that moment
• Allow them to familiarize with the settings by leading their hands to the surrounding
• Establish eye contact regardless (because they can hear your voice, you don't want to be looking somewhere else and projecting your voice all over the place)
• Say they you're leaving (or they might be talking to an empty space)
• Describe the food placement on the plate in a clock format (eg: in the middle is your rice, at 12o'clock is the vegetable, 10 o'clock is the fish)

Things to avoid:

• touch any other parts besides the shoulder or elbow
• talk without first calling their name or gently touch them by the shoulder (they can't see who you're talking to, you could be talking to anyone)
• Address only the person next to the blind and not the blind person itself
• Simply shift the furnitures or stuffs uninformed which the blind had already gotten used to
• DRAG A PERSON BY THE SLEEVE! (they are extremely sensitive on this issue because it is rude. I bet you don't want someone to do that on you too)

Fortunately, I was able to experience the feeling of being blind (well, through a blindfold of course) while I was guided by a beloved friend of mine. It wasn't easy initially, but I slowly sharpened my senses and managed to pull it through quite smoothly. I did not fall into the drain nor tripped over an obstacle *clap clap*. 

A piece of advice, do not take your body parts for granted. You'd never know when you will lose any of them. I've came to realize that my ears, nose, hands, feet and nose can do so much more!! I became sensitive to every voices/sounds, texture of the floor/walls, the heat and even the scent of the surrounding. It felt great when you finally use all your senses to the maximum! And that's how the blind acknowledge their imperfect perfections to perfect their imperfections.